In an Ocean of Stars

by The Last Centurion 1

After the Giant War Percy thought that he could finally get a quiet life, but it all came crashing down when Zeus went to war against Poseidon, forcing Percy to go into hiding. After countless skirmishes, the Council has made a tough decision and forced Percy into a marriage with Artemis in hopes of stopping the godly war. Also, deep down in a dark pit, a Primordial stirs...

23. Chapter 23: Delos

A/N: Hi there!

I'm back with another chapter; it's nearly 19K words, so I hope it slightly makes up for the unreasonably long wait.

This story takes place at many different locations, so I hope it doesn't get too confusing.

There is one more disclaimer other than the usual one today: This chapter is very long, and the update is very delayed. For this reason, I have had very little chance to proofread the chapter and even things out like I usually do, so if the story seems a bit rough here and there, just ignore it and move on. You don't need to point out any mistakes this time, as I would most likely not have the time to fix stuff because of my busy schedule.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson and related stories.

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Chapter 23: Delos

"My Lady, please. You need to stop blaming yourself for what happened that day." Angela, daughter of Apollo, pleaded before her patron as she held her hand in a tight grip.

It was almost midnight, and the goddess of the moon had been sitting quietly beside a campfire for nearly five hours now. Her huntresses had tried their best to cheer her up, but they had all failed to make the ancient Olympian feel any better.

Far away in the distance, well outside the goddess's hearing range, huntress Amelia was observing everything with a worried frown. "I haven't seen her so devoid of life since Zoë left us," she whispered to the other huntresses standing near her.

"Seeing her sad makes me sad," Cassandra replied, her voice heavy with sadness. "Why did it have to be this way, Amy? First, we get this strange, strange boy out of nowhere, and he turns out to be one of the most wonderful men we've ever met… And now? He is gone, and none of us can find him."

"I miss Aqua Boy," Amy admitted with a sad smile. "I hope we find him soon; he would always make things so much more exciting."

"Look, Atlanta is there too," one of the huntresses pointed out.

And indeed, the girl was now standing beside Angela and trying to talk sense into the Goddess of the Hunt.

"She's right, you did everything you could have, my lady. Why torture yourself over something you had no power over?" Angela's half-sister, Atlanta, spoke up.

The two daughters of Apollo were among the oldest huntresses serving Artemis, having been with her for more than two thousand years, nearly as long as Zoë had. They both had Artemis's complete trust and could generally get away with saying much more than others would have been allowed to.

It had now been a full week since Artemis had answered Percy's distressed call, and so far there had been no signs of the lost demigod.

When the goddess had returned from Nentis, her trembling hands clutching a blood-soaked mirror, she had been battling a wave of anguish that had been threatening to take over her. But Artemis fought through her pain because she knew she needed to remain sharp if she were to find her consort.

What followed was one of the most extensive searches ever undertaken by the hunt. Artemis traveled the world with her girls, searching every nook and cranny in hopes of finding Perseus. However, as days passed and no whispers of his presence reached them, her resolve slowly shattered, and grief replaced her determination. Soon, the grief that had been swelling inside her was dwarfed by the shame and regret she was feeling.

Artemis looked up and met the gaze of her hunters, pain clearly visible on her features. "He trusted me, Angela," she whispered. "He trusted me and look how specifically I failed him."

"No, you did not!" Angela protested.

"Yes, I did," Artemis pressed, her voice more firm this time.

Try as she might, the goddess could not bury the crushing disappointment she felt in herself; she had lived for thousands upon thousands of years, she had seen great civilizations rise and fall, she witnessed the entire human history unfold before her eyes, and yet despite all the power and all that experience, she failed in her duty to protect her consort.

Percy was a demigod; when pressed, he could show extraordinary resilience; at times, he could even be strong enough to survive being blown by volcanoes and take down the very Titan king, but in the end, he still bled red, which meant he could still die.

It fell upon Artemis to ensure that that hero of Olympus lived long enough to be free from the cycle of death and become an immortal deity beside her, and yet she hadn't a clue where to find him.

"He was injured and in pain; he was vulnerable... And in that moment of weakness, when no one would come to save him, he remembered me." Artemis said, remembering the moonlight shining back at the sky from Percy's shattered mirror, "And yet I failed him."

"You did everything you could." Angela pushed back.

"Well, it clearly wasn't enough!" The goddess snapped, her anger flaring for a moment before quickly dying out, causing the huntress to let go of her hand in fear.

The goddess reached forward and held Angela's hand again. "I am sorry, Angela," she apologized. "I did not mean to take my anger out on you... You mean well, and I thank you for that."

"Don't be sorry." Angela shook her head, her voice still a little shaky but somehow even more determined. "We know you aren't angry at us; you are angry at yourself... But that would not solve anything."

"How can I not be angry at myself?" The goddess questioned, "If only I was faster... If only I did more."

"You did everything you could have," Angela reassured her.

But Artemis shook her head. "You know Apollo would visit him every week," she revealed with a sad smile, recalling the talk with her twin. "They would meet and spend up to an hour talking about the most trivial things, things as pointless as silly video games and music, nothing remotely important, and yet they would never miss a meeting."

The goddess got up and started walking towards the center of her camp, the two huntresses following her closely. "What is Perseus to Apollo?" She asked, "Just a friend... Nothing more than that."

She then turned back towards her huntresses. "And what am I to him? So much more than just a friend," the goddess revealed. "Ask me how many times I visited him there."

Her huntresses dared not speak.

"Never," she answered her own question. There was venom behind her voice as she spoke: "I never once visited him there, and now he's lost, gone somewhere where I cannot find him."

Atlanta had to debate whether it was safe to speak her mind. She did not want to anger the goddess again, but at the same time, she wanted to help her the best she could. Finally, after much consideration, she asked a simple question: "But how is it fair to put all the blame on yourself when it was the other Olympians who sent him there, not you? " She tried to make the goddess see reason.

A dark expression crossed Artemis's face as she heard that. "Oh, I do not doubt that," she said. "They manipulated Perseus to get what they wanted from him... They had no right, Atlanta. They had no claim over him, and yet they took him from me anyway, and look where it got him."

"I will find him." Artemis said with her voice filled with determination, once again turning towards the eldest daughter of Apollo, a dangerous look present on her face, "One thing I cannot stand is seeing something that belongs to me be taken from me, and make no mistake, sister, for Perseus does belong to me and only me."

She looked up, her eyes glowing silver, bathing the night in her radiant shine. "And when I find him, I will make sure the world knows that. No one will ever take him from me again, and if some foolish Olympian ever tries to send him on some mission again, then chaos forgive me because I will find that god and I will deliver them to Tartarus myself."

Angela nodded hesitantly, a look of concern present on her ageless face. Few could hope to understand the fury of the moon goddess, but having been with her for so long, she knew it well.

"My Lady, we have a missive from Olympus." Thalia interrupted the three as she approached them with a sealed letter.

Just like Artemis, the lieutenant of the hunt too looked broken from Percy's disappearance. It was no secret that Percy was like a brother to her, and the state in which Artemis had found the demigod's apartment had horrified her beyond belief and forced her to consider the scariest thought of her life: that she had lost Percy.

Artemis, who was still angry at the Olympians, snatched the letter from her lieutenant's hand and tore open the envelope enclosing the letter.

Holding the letter before her, she read aloud its contents for everyone to hear.

The search of the town bore no results.

No indications of Perseus could be found in Nentis.

The demigods, minor gods, and Titan found imprisoned in the city have been transferred to Olympus for further questioning.

Your presence is requested at today's meeting.

The letter that Artemis had been reading started smoldering at the edges before a ball of intense blue flame consumed it, reducing the parchment to ashes.

"They dare disrespect me like this." The moon goddess snarled in hatred, "Summoning me like nothing happened... I'll show them what happens to those who cross me. She promised darkly, her crazed expression prompting her hunters to look at each other with identical expressions of unease.

It was known to the girls that Artemis could be incredibly destructive when angry; whenever she was put under significant emotional distress, the goddess would lose all sense of what was right and what was wrong, and in such cases, it was not uncommon for her to take actions that she would later come to regret.

"Thalia, I want you to look after the hunt for a few hours; also, find Phoebe and ask her to meet me," the goddess commanded.

"Angela and Atlanta, I want you, along with Phoebe, to come with me to Nentis; the three of you are my most experienced huntresses. I want you to search the city for any clue those fools from Olympus might have missed."

The three bowed as they accepted her order, none of them too keen to speak out, turn, and face the goddess's wrath.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Artemis stood alone in Percy's living room in Nentis as she looked around in sadness. Her huntresses were out searching the town for something that might help find the demigod, while she herself had decided to finally do what she had been putting off for days.

After the incident, this marked the first time the goddess had stepped foot in her fiancé's apartment. She hadn't dared come back before that day out of shame and sadness. But now she knew she needed to do it; despite how much it hurt to be there, she had to do this to find him.

The room had already been searched multiple times by people from Olympus, and up until then, the goddess and her hunters had been relying on everything they learned from the searchers to guide their own search for the demigod. But the lack of progress had finally promoted the goddess to return to where it had all started and look at everything with her own set of eyes.

Artemis walked through the modest apartment and noticed that the place had been completely ransacked, almost as if every nook and cranny had been searched by someone. Everything was lying around in a state of disarray, and the entire flat was a picture of disorder.

The goddess knew Percy had developed a habit of remaining organized; he would never let his place get to that level of disorganization unless something was stopping him.

As she looked around, she was painfully reminded of the day she had flashed into the empty apartment so many days ago.

Percy's blood was no longer covering the floors as it had no doubt been cleared by Olympus, but Artemis did not need to see it to know where it had been, the image from that day having been burned into her memory forever.

Carefully, the goddess searched the entire apartment, meticulously going over every small detail—anything that might tell her something she didn't know, something that could show her the bigger picture.

Eventually, she came across an unopened drawer.

"Hmm." The goddess tried to open the drawer, but it was locked. She frowned and pulled it again, this time applying some force. The metallic lock holding it snapped into two clean pieces as the drawer slid open.

Inside the goddess found some spare changes, a few documents, an illustrated encyclopedia of fishes, and finally a picture.

Artemis reached in and pulled the picture out, her heart suddenly feeling a lot heavier than before.

"I didn't think he would be brave enough to hold onto it," came a voice from beside Artemis.

The goddess's Roman counterpart, Diana, had appeared beside Artemis; she was looking at the picture in Artemis's head with a look of sadness.

It was a picture of Diana.

"Thalia gave it to him," Diana explained as she took the picture from Artemis's hand and observed it closely. "She told me the picture was for her sisters.".

"You knew she would give it to him?" Artemis asked.

"Of course I did; the girl is a terrible liar," the Roman goddess chuckled. "I can read her almost as well as I can read her cousin."

"You can read Perseus astonishingly well," Artemis hummed in agreement.

"It's not that difficult, you know," the Roman goddess smiled. "I just need to think like a good person, a kind and honorable man who was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and found himself being married to one of the most feared goddesses in all of Greek pantheon."

"I still struggle to believe he is doing this for us." Artemis shook her head and said, "The sacrifice he is making."

"Oh, I believe it," Diana answered back. "Sacrificing his freedom to help someone he barely knows and thinks would probably hate him sounds exactly like something Percy Jackson would do." She then chuckled at her own words, "As if I could ever hate that man."

"We need to find him, Diana," Artemis said with a newfound resolve, suddenly battling an overpowering desire to be reunited with her demigod.

The Roman goddess nodded. "Yes, we do... And I think I know where to start."

Artemis looked up, her eyes curious. "So you feel it as well?" She asked.

Diana nodded. "Traces of our domain..."

"It has to be her; it has to be Selene," Artemis said.

"Yes, but we believed she had faded, didn't we? Clearly, we did not know enough." Diana agreed.

"Do you think she fooled Perseus?" Artemis asked with a frown, "Lull him into a false sense of security by pretending to be us and striking him when he did not expect it?"

Diana shook her head. "It would be very unlike her; she was never one to resort to violence. Besides, Percy would know if it wasn't us," she assured.

"How can you be so sure?" Artemis questioned with a frown. With how similar their powers were, Selene's aura would be almost identical to her own.

"Because I know him," the goddess responded, leaving no room for further discussion.

Artemis nodded as she accepted the answer. She had no choice but to believe that Diana was right; she did know Perseus better than she did, and she had never once been wrong about him.

Sometimes it annoyed the Greek goddess to see how much more her Roman counterpart got along with Perseus, but she had come to live with that… She knew her own actions were a big contributor to Diana's stronger bond with Perseus, so she had no one to blame but herself.

Clearing her mind off her thoughts, Artemis made her way towards one of the tables. She stopped before it and slowly circled the wooden furniture, her pale finger dragging on its surface and leaving a trail on its dust-covered face. "His laptop is missing, and so is his bag." She observed, her piercing eyes running across the different objects scattered here and there.

"They must have taken it with them when they took him," Diana whispered, "I think—" Suddenly, the goddess stopped talking as she made her way towards the table.

The Roman goddess pushed most of the items aside and pulled out a small piece of paper.

"What is it? Artemis asked, craning her neck forward to get a better look.

"Bus ticket," Diana responded, "from the night before his disappearance. This might lead us somewhere.

Artemis looked up, her eyes alert and as sharp as a predator's gaze. "Does it tell where he got up?" She asked.

"It does," Diana answered, handing the piece of paper to the Greek goddess.

Artemis took the ticket from her counterpart and observed it herself before handing it back. "I can't believe those witless searchers from Olympus missed this. Contact Atlanta and tell her to get to that place. Ask her to check if there's any CCTV at that bus stand; if there is one, then we will need the recordings," the goddess instructed. "You know I would do it myself, but my mind isn't in the right state for anything that requires patience."

"I know," Diana acknowledged softly. She knew Percy's disappearance was affecting Artemis a lot more than either of them had expected it to; perhaps it was because she had been the one who had handed the mirror to Percy and had answered his call when he signaled for help, or perhaps it was for some other reason, but one way or another, Artemis was finding herself restless and overcome with frustration.

Deciding to check the remainder of the apartment, Artemis then turned around and went over to the demigod's cupboard again; it was the one place she had not searched yet. Short on patience, she grabbed the handle and pulled on it so hard that the door got torn off its hinges, discarding the door. The goddess grunted in annoyance as she started tossing his clothes out in hopes of coming across something; she had gone through more than half of his clothes when she stopped.

Carefully, she reached inside and pulled out a neatly folded shirt of chainmail that had been sitting with the rest of the demigod's clothes. It was the Lunar Alloy shirt that the goddess had ordered Percy to wear at all times, the same armor she had specially crafted for him after pouring an astronomical amount of her own power into it in hopes of keeping her demigod husband-to-be protected.

Diana saw what her counterpart was holding, and she closed her eyes in frustration. Shaking her head, she cursed, "Oh, you foolish foolish man, why are you the way you are?""

Artemis too looked less than pleased; her eyes were burning with anger, and her lips were trembling with her rage. "Just let me get hold of him again. I will teach that insolent demigod what happens to those who are senseless enough to defy me. I will make sure he regrets ever crossing me."

"For once, I'd like to join you in that." Diana added darkly, she had never felt more angry at the demigod than she did at that moment, and even though she was finding it difficult to hold onto that anger, deep down she knew she could not forgive such carelessness lest she let him think he could always get away with risking his life.

"Be my guest,"

"How should we punish him then? Once we've found him, that is," Diana asked, thinking of a time after they'd found him that made her feel slightly better.

"I don't know," Artemis said, suddenly looking curious as she considered the question. Soon an evil look replaced her curious expression as she suggested, "I could probably kiss him on the cheek in front of the hunt."

Diana's eyes widened at her suggestion as she shook her head. "Don't do that; he would die from mortification," she said. Yes, she wanted to punish the careless demigod, but that did not mean she would be cruel with it.

The Greek goddess seemed to ease a bit as she nodded. "You're probably right; that would be too much for poor Perseus, wouldn't it? Because heaven forbid his wife kisses him on the cheek."

The two goddesses looked at each other before promptly breaking into laughter.

"He's hopeless," Diana said between laughter. "You should see his face when I hold his hand in front of the huntresses; he looks like he would rather curl up in a ball and die from embarrassment."

Artemis smiled softly as she looked at her Roman counterpart with a curious expression. "Would you end it, Diana? If we suddenly get a chance to be free of this obligation,? If Hera were to come to us and say we no longer needed to marry Perseus or anyone else, would you let him go?"

Diana stopped laughing as she met Artemis's searching gaze, a more serious look replacing her expression. She seemed to think about the question for a minute before saying, "No. I have searched my feelings, and I don't think I can ever let him go, not after everything that has happened not after everything he has become to me. I don't know if I would still marry him; maybe I would… But no matter what, I would still keep him with me forever."

"Hmmm…" Artemis looked thoughtful. "Then we better find him quickly,"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Wait, who is this woman he's talking to?" Artemis asked with a frown as she looked over the CCTV footage that Atlanta had gotten from the bus stop that Percy had used right before his disappearance.

Artemis and her three huntresses were hunched over a computer screen in Percy's apartment as they searched the recordings for clues to Percy's disappearance.

Atlanta reached down and zoomed in on the woman's face, but strangely, despite most of the video being in sharp focus, the woman's face appeared slightly hazy—not enough to obscure her look completely, but still enough to make it harder for them to identify her. It might have been due to the shadow falling on her face, but there was also something unnatural about it when one looked closely.

"This is strange," Atlanta hummed, unsatisfied with the low resolution.

"I wish the image was clearer," Angela said from beside Atlanta. "The mortals are strange when it comes to these things. Why go through all the trouble of having one of these when it fails to perform its primary function? To identify a person."

"Well, these cameras are never really that impressive; the detective movies really do oversell their capabilities," Atlanta commented distractedly as she switched to different cameras and tried to get a better look from other angles.

"I never understood your fascination with these movies, sister," Angela added with a roll of her eyes.

"That's not fair; I remember you used to watch them with me and Zoë before Phoebe convinced you they were a waste of time." Atlanta protested. By then, the girl had stopped trying to find better camera angles and settled on the video that was the clearest.

"That was sixty years ago!" Angela cried, "Besides, none of this is helping us get any closer to whoever this woman is."

"Not necessarily," Artemis, who had been looking at the screen intently, said. "Look at this."

The goddess pointed at the large yellow folder in the woman's arm and the stack of pages above it.

"My lady?" Angela was confused.

"Why would she be carrying this folder?" The goddess asked, "Pay close attention to the pages above the folder; look at them and tell me what they are." She instructed.

Angela peered closer to the screen, squinting her eyes and observing the pages carefully before frowning. "They appear to be clumsy artworks of some form; they are far too colorful, and the artists appear to be lacking in skill."

Artemis raised an eyebrow at the description and looked at her huntress with an expression that roughly translated to 'Really?'

Flustered, the daughter of Apollo tried to defend herself. "I mean, for instance, look at this one, my lady," she said, pointing towards the one at the very top, the only one that was fully visible. "They are far too crude to have been made by a skilled individual... The artist appears to have drawn a human here, but look, the arms are coming out of the waist and not the shoulders," she said. "Also, the proportions don't make sense, and..."

"Angela," the goddess interrupted, an amused smile playing on her lips. "These are children's drawings, and the woman is a teacher; just look at her; the signs are far too obvious to miss; the folder is probably full of homework that she needed to grade."

The huntress's eyes widened as she finally understood what Artemis had been trying to point out. She looked back at the woman on the screen and noticed that it did make sense; even the way she was dressed hinted at her being a teacher.

Atlanta zoomed in on the folder to look for any markings, but she found none. "If she is a teacher, how do we find which school she teaches at?"

Artemis looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "A town this size, there can't be any more than 1-3 elementary schools here; add to that the location of this bus stand; it is already a bit far off from the town; I don't expect a teacher, that too in a small town elementary school, to travel very far; even if she's a Titan, that would hurt her cover story... Find out what the nearest school is, and chances are we will find her there."

"But how do we know for sure she lives near that bus stand?" Atlanta asked.

"You can never truly be sure of anything, but you can be reasonably confident... The bus crosses only one residential area on its way to the town center—this place, Ruby Road. I find it hard to believe that a Titaness was living so close to Perseus, and yet he could not find out she was not human. Yes, the man is too trusting, but he is not incompetent."

"So if not to her home, where would she be going at that time? Whoever travels with a folder in the evening? The schools are all closed."

"I don't know; maybe she carries them as a part of her cover." Artemis shrugged; all she was doing was pulling on strings, She could not see the full picture yet, but things were getting clearer and clearer the more she dug in.

There was a voice from behind the three that added, "See if the nearest school is close to the central park; that was where Percy started his search when he first came to this town."

The Greek goddess and the two huntresses turned to find Diana standing behind them. The goddess stepped closer to the laptop and added, "When he first met me right after coming to Nentis, I asked him if he found something suspicious... I think there was a mortal woman Percy had befriended, but when I questioned him about it, he tried to change the topic. I caught his poor attempt to divert my attention, of course, and even pointed it out, but in the end, I decided to let the topic go."

"You go far too easy on him." Artemis frowned in disapproval. "If I were in your place, I would have forced that information out of him."

"I am beginning to agree with you," Diana nodded, a sad smile on her face. "Perhaps it would have been better if I was more like you when it came to him."

The goddess shook her head. "But we are getting off track; let's try to find out who this woman is." She turned towards the eldest daughter of Apollo. "Angela, I want you to find the nearest elementary school and see if they have anyone who matches the woman in this video. Also, get the employee records and see if someone lives near that bus stand they got up on. Oh, and take Phoebe with you."

"Yes, milady," Angela bowed.

Then Artemis spoke again: "Remember this: if you really find the woman we are looking for, she would have suddenly stopped reporting to work close to when Percy disappeared. Because that's when all the Titans left the town."

Angela nodded in understanding. "I will remember that."

"Atlanta, I want you to head towards the bus stand and search the surrounding areas, investigate anything that sticks out, and make sure the place is not too close to the stand itself; somehow I don't see the Titans living right next to a place that has so much surveillance," Diana instructed the other daughter of Apollo.

"It will be done, milady," Atlanta accepted, just like her sister.

"I will meet you in the evening; right now I have a meeting to attend on Olympus," Artemis said, her eyes narrowing in anger.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Percy

Percy felt miserable; that day marked the seventh straight day he had been trapped in the Library of Ages, and he was having a full-blown breakdown about it.

After Lelantos had rescued the demigod in his injured state, he brought him to the Library of Ages. While the son of Poseidon had been rushed to the Healing Temple because of his severe wounds, his Titan friend and the rest of the Titans had all congregated in a large stone fortress where they had activated a mechanism that would teleport the entire hidden city to some other location.

Percy would later find out that the library now sat under the island of Delos, the same place Artemis and Apollo had grown up when they were hiding from Hera. It was tucked in some pocket dimension beneath the island, just like it had been under Nentis, hidden from view but vast beyond belief.

The worst part was that, despite knowing exactly where he was, Percy could not leave the Library or contact anyone outside the magically concealed city. That was because of a safety mechanism in the Titan's hideout that had activated on its own. To Percy, it felt like the Dome of Erebus nonsense all over again.

Whenever an emergency teleport was initiated and the Library of Ages was forced to change location, it would automatically enter a ten-day lockdown period within which no one could leave or enter the town. This safety mechanism was there to prevent the city from being ambushed and generally served to keep its residents protected even under the most adverse conditions.

Unfortunately for Percy, being in lockdown meant that he could not go out and contact anyone; he could not tell his friends and family that he was okay; and most importantly, he could not talk to his fiancée and assure her that he was alive.

"Artemis is going to kill me, Lelantos!" Percy cried for what must have been the hundredth time as he paced around the open courtyard of the city palace.

The city palace was a sight to behold; it was a beautiful building that stood out amongst the other palaces as the most lavishly decorated structure in the entire city. It was filled to the brim with expensive furniture and priceless paintings, but its real beauty lay in the greenery. At least two dozen gardens were scattered throughout the palace complex, complete with open courtyards, ponds, and fountains.

The Titan of Wind, who was sitting on a bench and observing the demigod with an amused smile, laughed and replied. "You'll be fine, my friend; my dear niece will be happy to see you, and I'm sure she will forget her anger in no time," Lelantos reassured Percy.

"You don't get it, Lelantos; she is a crazy woman. She would probably lock me in some cell with no windows if she thought it would keep me safe. You have no idea how difficult it was for me to convince her to let me go to Nentis, and now I have been missing for a week. God knows what she might be thinking." The demigods shuddered as he continued pacing around

"You know, for how powerful he has become, it's amusing to still see him fear her so much," Selene commented as she walked into the courtyard, accompanied by Percy's grandmother and Hypnos.

"Ah, but Percy is a perfect gentleman, you see. I don't think he is scared; I think he's just being considerate," Rhea said in his defense.

The demigod, who had heard what his grandmother had said, shook his head as he said, "For once you are wrong, grandma, I am scared. I am so very scared."

Rhea broke into an amused smile. "I stand corrected then," she said, before suggesting, "Tell you what, how would you like it if I were to back you up when you meet her again?"

Percy turned around and rushed towards his grandmother. Holding her hand, he cried, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please do that!"

Rhea laughed and said, "Don't worry, I will."

"And we also bring good news for you, Percy," Hypnos said as he came to stand beside Selene. "Astraios has been working hard to get the containment to end, and he just informed us that it should be down any moment now."

Percy's eyes widened with surprise. "Really?" he asked, his voice full of hope.

Rhea patted him on the shoulder and said in faux hurt, "I am saddened to see how eager you are to leave us, my dear grandson."

Percy's eyes widened even more dramatically as he shook his head. "No, no, no! It's not like that."

Rhea laughed as he held him by his arm. "I know Percy; I am only jesting," she smiled as she added. "But I must admit, I will miss you when you are taken by your moon goddess."

"I will return," Percy promised. "I am not letting you fight in this war alone!"

Rhea shook her head, "Zeus will never see reason; my son would not let a man as powerful as you 'fall into the hands of the Titans'"

Percy's face hardened as she said, "Then it's a good thing I no longer answer to Zeus. I think he has taken enough from me for me to deserve some freedom. And it's not like he can do anything to harm me; he needs me more than I need him. I think it's about time I leverage that."

Rhea looked proud. "You have grown strong and wise, Percy."

It was then that a mighty gong shook everyone to their core; it was as if a mountain-sized bell had been struck by some giant.

Rhea looked up and said, "It is done." She looked at Percy again and said, "Let us climb to Delos."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Thirteen demigods, four minor gods, and one Titan," Ares counted. "All of them were found incapacitated and unconscious when we arrived."

"And what are we doing with them? Last I heard, they were being interrogated." Athena asked, nodding as she took in the information.

The gods of Olympus were all assembled on their heavenly thrones as they held yet another discussion on the incident that had taken the entire council by surprise. Despite this being the third such meeting, they were still just as clueless about the whole situation as they had been on day one.

"Still being interrogated," the god of war answered with a shrug. He did not particularly care about the minor details, as long as there was some other lead to follow.

Athena nodded with a satisfied hum before asking, "And what of Perseus?"

"Still no sign." The god didn't look too bothered as he said that.

The goddess of wisdom nodded grimly, glancing towards Artemis uncomfortably. "I mean, he has to be fine; this isn't the first time he has disappeared, right?"

The goddess of the moon looked up and met her half-sister's gaze, her silver eyes so harsh that Athena was forced to look away.

Anyone could tell that talking to Artemis was not in their best interest; the moon goddess was furious. She had not been invited to the first two meetings because the rest of the gods feared her rage; after all, she had made it abundantly clear that she was against sending Percy to Nentis, and yet the council had overruled her judgment, and now her soon-to-be husband was lost.

Zeus, who had been trying his best to appear as small as possible, cleared his throat as he said, "No effort will be spared until Perseus is found; getting him to safety is our number one priority. Is it understood?"

There were several minor gods and demigods in attendance that day; they had all been summoned to the special meeting as Olympus ramped up its efforts against the mysterious Titan situation. They all bowed as they accepted their king's order.

The truth was that even if the order hadn't directly come from Zeus, they would still have prioritized Percy's search above all else; the demigod was a living legend in their world, and everyone wanted to see him alive.

Even as Zeus spoke for Percy's safety, he did not dare meet his daughter's eyes, knowing fully well that he would not find anything kind there. Desperate to move on, he said, "What of the prisoners? What do we know about them?"

Ares sighed. "It was unusual how we found them. As far as we can tell, the demigods and the minor god were taken down by a mixture of Titan and godly interference, which makes it difficult to place their allegiance right now… From the little we have been able to gather from them, I think there were two battling factions, both hell-bent on destroying the other."

The god of thunder frowned as he took in the information. It was a troubling thought. Usually, it was not difficult to nail down an enemy's agenda, but this time it was proving to be exceptionally difficult.

"And the Titan Perses?" Zeus asked, "Being the sole deity of destruction, he has always been amongst the strongest of our foes, but he was taken in too; how?"

A foul look crossed Ares's face. "Well, that appears to be Percy's job; all traces indicate that he defeated him and froze him into an icy prison somehow. He probably also took down one of those knight-like creatures we found dead in Nentis and some more monsters. Must be luck."

Zeus nodded, disregarding his son's snide comment. It looked like, despite his disappearance, the demigod had not lost his touch.

Then his eyes glowed dangerously. "And finally, Epimetheus," he said, "the Titan who got away, how did it happen?" He asked in a dangerous whisper.

Epimetheus was the Titan of afterthought; he was the brother of Prometheus and was generally known for his blunders; all in all, he was not a Titan who should have escaped.

"I think it would be better if the people who lost him answered that question," Ares said, gesturing towards the gathered group of demigods and minor gods who were suddenly shuffling in nervousness under their king's intense glare.

While the god of war had not shown even a moment's hesitation before taking all the credit for the hard work of the non-Olympians, he didn't feel any hesitation before throwing them under the bus either.

Zeus fixed his dangerous gaze on them and called out the person he had expected the most from: "Jason, my son, you were among those sent to retrieve the prisoners. How is it that Ephetheus, of all Titans, got away from your hands? You failed to carry out the simplest of tasks while your cousin shackled the very Titan of destruction."

The young praetor stepped forward on shaky feet and bowed. There had been no kindness behind Zeus' voice, and the boy knew that an unsatisfactory reason would not bode well for him and his friends.

While Jason had gained considerable fame himself, no one could boast of having reached the level of fame and respect that Percy Jackson had achieved. The son of Zeus had thought that his friend's exile would diminish his legend, but it had only seemed to solidify it further. Everyone loved him, and no one could speak against him.

While Jason was unquestionably proud of Percy's achievements and loved the man like his own brother, it was only human for him to feel slightly jealous of the Greek hero.

Much had changed since the days of the last war, back when all demigods were seen as expendable and none of them could hope to match the privilege that came with being a god.

Recently, the children of gods had become a more important part of society, with their immense bravery and repeated sacrifice being the only thing responsible for the continued existence of Olympus.

But one demigod had, in particular, taken it further than anyone else. In their world, being Percy Jackson meant that you could get away with almost anything. No god, Olympian or otherwise, would dare go against the demigod unless they had no other choice.

Percy was untouchable, and Jason was pretty sure that even though he was Zeus's own son, the god would have treated him much better if he were the legendary son of Poseidon instead.

The very fact that Percy was still alive went to show how much things had changed. Not too long ago, the lord of skies had declared a war on all things connected to the sea, and yet he hadn't been allowed to destroy the son of Poseidon.

Taking a deep breath, the praetor answered, "Father, the Titan had help. What Lord Ares didn't tell you is that two men attacked us when we were transferring the prisoners; they were Atlas and Hyperion. We did everything we could to stop them, but strange monsters accompanied the two—creatures that would return from the dead; they kept coming back no matter how many times we killed them."

Zeus looked surprised by the revelation as he accepted the reason his son had given him: Atlas and Hyperion would have been a formidable force together, even for the likes of Percy. "You have given me much to think about," the king of gods said as he dismissed the demigod, "Titans battling each other, minor gods and demigods joining the fight, strange monsters appearing out of nowhere... None of this makes any sense."

Sensing he had been dismissed and, at the same time, feeling immensely surprised that his small explanation had been enough, Jason used that moment to get out of the situation and return to his place beside Piper and the other Roman demigods.

Athena chose that moment to speak up: "Father, if I may?"

Zeus nodded in consent, his attention focusing on his daughter.

The goddess of wisdom sighed, "I think it is safe to say that we can all feel the approaching war. Apollo says that another great prophecy is upon us, and I fear that the two warring factions of this coming war have already been decided; perhaps it is us who are late to join. ' Father, unless I am wrong, I think we would soon see ourselves aligning with one of them and battling the other."

"I see," Zeus pondered, his hand absently scratching his beard, a look of focus present on his bearded face as he considered the goddess's words, and indeed, even though he had reached a similar conclusion himself not too long ago, hearing the same thing from the goddess of wisdom only seemed to make him surer of it.

The god remained in deep thought for a few minutes before finally he seemed to notice something odd: "Where is Poseidon?" He asked as he looked towards the empty throne of the sea god.

It was Apollo who answered, "Searching for his son." He said, "The sea has been restless ever since Percy disappeared. I have been helping in his search, but so far there is nothing to follow; it's almost as if he has disappeared from the face of the earth."

The sky god frowned; he really needed Poseidon to be present there… The Lord of the Seas held great wisdom and almost unimaginable influence; any meeting he skipped would automatically become astronomically less effective than it would have been if he were present. "I understand his concern for Perseus, and I assure you I share them too, but he should be present here; after all, there are much bigger things at stake here."

There were multiple gasps as the entire hall suddenly held its breath. Every eye darted towards a figure in silver before hastily looking away.

That had been the wrong thing to say, and Zeus regretted opening his mouth immediately. So far, he had been trying his best to avoid attracting the ire of the moon goddess, but his slip-up had probably crossed a line that he could not walk back.

Unable to hold on to her anger anymore, the goddess Artemis finally spoke up. "Really father? Is this why I have been summoned here, then? To discuss these 'more important' matters as you put them?" Artemis spoke up in a frigid tone.

The demigods and minor gods looked around nervously as they felt the situation around them getting increasingly tense. Most of them really did not want to get caught in an Olympian crossfire.

Nico and Clarisse, who were both representing Camp Half Blood in that meeting, shared a silent conversation as they saw Artemis taking a stand for the missing hero. They had both heard whispers of their friend's growing closeness to the moon goddess, most of them coming through camp Jupiter as the hunters of Artemis had been stationed there for some duration, but neither of them had taken the rumors seriously, knowing that Artemis accepting a male was beyond impossible.

But there had to be some substance to the rumors; it was certainly supported by the way Artemis was reacting.

The goddess of the moon was gripping the arm of her throne in a tight hold as she tried to tame the anger that was bubbling inside of her. A silver glow surrounded her slender figure, which was getting warmer and warmer by the second until it was burning white hot.

Feeling cornered, Zeus shook his head. "Of course not, my daughter. I realize how important it is to get Perseus back. That's why I wanted you to be present today—to know that every effort to find him is being taken to find him as soon as possible."

Artemis shook her head, "And yet he is nowhere to be found, I asked you not to send him there. No, I begged you." she cursed, "And yet you sent him anyway; you sent him to a town that was supposed to have one Titan in it, when in reality it turned out to be a warzone filled with who knows how many of our enemies!"

Sensing the danger, Athena tried to step in for her father. "He's a warrior, Artemis; you know as well as I do that it was what he wanted."

Artemis shook her head as she yet again fixed her half-sister under her withering layer. "Well, he does not get to decide that alone, not anymore, not if I have anything to say about it."

"Is it really your place to be making such decisions for him?" Athena asked with a frown.

"As long as he is safe, his wishes and decisions are irrelevant to me, and I will do what I must to keep him alive, because the rest of the world clearly wants him dead."

"And what about his happiness?" Demeter asked in a small voice.

"He will be happy!" Artemis snapped, "No one wants to see him happy more than I do."

Aphrodite scoffed, "Why do you care, huntress? It's not like he was ever anything more than a burden to you."

Artemis looked up sharply and glared at her, her eyes full of hatred. "You have no idea what you are talking about Aphrodite."

Not being one to back away so easily, Aphrodite held her gaze unflinchingly, searching the goddess's eyes for the truth and finding immense anger mixed with something else that she couldn't at first recognize.

As the goddess of love looked into Artemis's eyes, uncovering and decoding everything she could sense in them, a look of realization dawned on her face as she stumbled upon something unexpected. "Oh," she said in a small voice, "I couldn't have imagined Artemis. I am sorry." She whispered, her eyes lowering. She almost looked ashamed of how she had acted.

"What is it?" Athena asked without missing a beat. The goddess had been following the interaction with laser-sharp focus, knowing fully well that a lot could be learned from how Aphrodite would react.

"Nothing," Aphrodite shot down. "Nothing happened," she said, shaking her head as she sank into her throne. The goddess looked shaken; it was almost as if she had come across something that no one alive was meant to see.

But Athena wasn't the goddess of wisdom for nothing; it wasn't difficult for her to piece together what Aphrodite could have found based on her reaction.

A look of horror replaced Athena's curious expression as she was faced with only one likely explanation. "No, it cannot be," she whispered, shaking her head in wonder and fascination. "Who would have thought—" she whispered.

"Enough!" Artemis cried as she got up from her throne; her eyes were burning with anger, and the air in the room seemed electrified from her rage. "I have faced enough torment at the hands of you people."

The demigods were pushed back by the sheer force of her aura; they backed away even further as the intense moonlight radiating off the goddess started searing their skins.

"First, you played with my dignity: forcing me into a marriage against my wishes... You made a mockery of my oath, my duty, and everything I ever stood for… You had no right," she said, her voice breaking near the end, "No right."

She turned towards her father and continued, "But I survived, father, because I found the perfect man in Perseus, I was even able to feel something that felt so close to happiness... And then you snatched the man you had forced me to accept and sent him somewhere he could die. And now, I don't know where he is—if he even is—" she stopped, a lone tear escaping her eyes.

Nico looked at Clarisse again, his message clear: 'that changes things'

"Even my eyes betray me today," she whispered, her hands quickly wiping off the rebellious tear. A myriad of emotions cycled through the goddess's beautiful face before a stone-like expression slowly overtook her features, and she addressed the council as a whole.

"It is seven days until the new moon, then the moon will go down and the sky will turn dark. Find me Perseus; I want him back; I don't care how; just do it." She commanded.

Her next words sent a chill through everyone present there: "If I don't find my consort in these seven days, the waxing moon will disappear like it always does, only this time it will never return. The night sky will remain without a moon until Perseus is standing beside me."

"You can't," Athena started.

"I am the goddess of the moon, and I have said what I wanted to say."

Silence rang across the hall.

"Artemis," Athena tried, but the goddess of the moon held up her hand to stop her.

"You took what was rightfully mine and lost it. Now, unless I have him back, I will snatch away the very moonlight that guides you at night."

With that parting message, the moon goddess erupted in a glow of silver and disappeared, leaving behind a stunned council to consider her threat.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Atlanta cried, "Sisters! What is the meaning of this?! You cannot just abduct a mortal." The daughter of Apollo was appalled by her fellow huntresses' behavior. While Artemis had given them leave to investigate however they saw fit, the way they were using that freedom felt like crossing a line.

Phoebe shrugged as if she couldn't care less. "I had strong reason to believe that this man can help us find out more about the woman; he is the school's principal after all."

"There are other ways of doing that!" Atlanta chastised, "Ways that don't involve kidnapping the principal."

Standing beside Phoebe, Angela seemed unaffected as she said, "It seemed like the most efficient method to us; maybe Milady has some questions for him herself."

"I find it hard to believe that she would ever—"

"It's alright, Atlanta; I will take it from here." Artemis interrupted them, and the three huntresses and the bound principal turned to see the goddess of the moon gracefully gliding down the staircase leading down to the basements of the building they were occupying.

Atlanta sighed in relief as she saw the goddess coming, "Thank god you are here, milady, maybe now they will see reason, please tell them they can't just—"

"Atlanta, I am going to interrogate the human," the goddess said with a stony expression.

Atlanta gaped at the goddess, her mouth opening to say something before closing and then finally she cried, "But the ancient laws—"

"Are ambiguous on this," Artemis interrupted the huntress, "I assure you, I would not do this unless it was absolutely necessary... But nothing can stand between me and finding Perseus; nothing."

The ancient goddess stepped towards the struggling man, and as if pulled by some invisible force, the tape blocking his mouth was yanked away.

"What is—who are you, people?" The man cried.

And that was when he truly looked at Artemis.

To mortal eyes, the sight of a goddess can be too staggering to comprehend. And that was what happened to the poor man; his eyes widened dramatically as he found himself at a complete loss for words.

"I apologize for thy mistreatment," Artemis said sincerely. "I am afraid my huntresses can be slightly overbearing at times, alas the situation dictates that you be questioned further, and if we are to find anything of substance, it must be me."

"Who— Who are you?" the man managed to gasp out, his mind foggy.

"Who I am is of no consequence," Artemis replied. "What matters more is who you are and what you can do for me."

She sighed before elaborating, "You see, much like yourself, someone I know was abducted by people with strange powers... However, I fear the people holding the man I search may not be as benevolent as we have been. I am afraid great harm can come to him at any moment, that is, if it hasn't already come."

A worried look crossed Artemis's face as she said that, as if the very thought of Percy being in any form of pain hurt her just as much.

Shaking her head, she continued, "A woman used to work for you as a teacher in your school. I believe my huntresses have already shown you who I seek. I want you to remember everything you know about her; nothing, not even the smallest detail, is insignificant."

The man struggled "I have already told them everything I know—please just let me go."

"My Lady," Angela bowed. "We searched the school records as you had asked, and we were able to match one of their teachers with the woman in the video. After we noticed the resemblance, we looked at where she lived and what route she generally took, and everything seemed to add up. When we were sure it was a strong lead, we interrogated a few employees before getting to this man, and he confirmed for us that the woman in the video is a teacher named Dareia."

Artemis nodded.

"That's not all; Phoebe continued where Atlanta had left off. "He tells us that she had worked in this school for a few years now, but strangely, she disappeared without a trace about one week ago.

Artemis's eyes hardened. "That confirms it, then; she has to be a Titan; now she has escaped just like the rest of her kind."

The goddess turned towards the principal again. "You will be freed at once," she promised. "There is but one thing I need you to do."

Saying that, the goddess opened her palm, and a strange jar materialized in her hand.

The jar was made of a strange crystal-looking material, and it was locked shut with a bronze cap that had intricate patterns carved into it.

She handed the jar to the man and commanded, "Now hold this and recall that woman; take us to the moment you first saw her, and right down to the last time you met her."

"I— What?" The man asked that even though Artemis was reigning in her aura as much as she could, the goddess's proximity was taking a toll on the man.

Growing impatient, Phoebe stepped forward and said, "Just hold the thing and think about that woman, get it?"

Nodding apprehensively, the man did as he was told.

For a few seconds, nothing happened, and then, out of nowhere, a strange, inky-looking liquid started pooling at the jar's base. Soon, the dark liquid had filled a quarter of the jar, and no more of it was being added.

Satisfied, Artemis gestured for Phoebe to take the jar away before modifying the man's memory and freeing him.

After the man was gone, Artemis used her powers to create a metallic tray and pour the strange liquid over it.

On a level surface, the viscous liquid formed a thick film over the tray that was so reflective that it was almost mirror-like.

After a few seconds, the huntresses came closer in interest as the surface glowed, and as if on a digital monitor, memories began playing on the surface.

All it took was fifteen seconds for Artemis to declare, "Rhea."

She closed her eyes and sighed in relief. "I cannot believe my eyes, but it is Rhea," she said. "That means he is safe; if Perseus has been taken by her, then he must be safe."

Atlanta, Angela, and Phoebe were understandably shocked to hear what she had said. No one but the eldest Olympians had ever seen the mother of gods; she had withdrawn from their world tens of thousands of years ago and had not been seen since.

"Are you certain her intentions would still be good?" Atlanta asked uncomfortably, feeling uneasy talking that way about the mother of gods but feeling it was necessary. "It has been a long time, after all."

Nodding, the goddess said, "I am certain; Lady Hestia is much like her mother; I cannot believe Rhea would ever mean to harm Perseus."

"It is good then," Atlanta said as the memory continued.

Slowly, they were taken further and further back into the past as older memories of the Titaness were played out for them. At some point, they were introduced to another teacher who had been a part of the school for nearly as long as Dariea had but had resigned unexpectedly one year ago.

Suddenly Artemis paused the memory. With a frown, she peered closer, and her frown deepened.

Sitting with Rhea was the mystery teacher, a woman who bore a striking resemblance to the goddess of the moon herself.

"What is it, my lady?" Angela asked.

Artemis wordlessly motioned towards the woman, "Look closer; have you seen her before?"

Angela's eyes widened in disbelief, "By the gods... It's—it's Leto... Your mother."

A strange fire was burning in Artemis's eyes; she looked angry. "I've searched every corner of this world, leaving not one inch unscrutinized, and yet his location has always evaded detection."

"Now I ask you this: What place can be so well hidden that not even magic can reach it? What can be the one place that I would never think to search?

Come Atlanta, I know where they've taken Perseus; we are going to my home."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A familiar breeze greeted Artemis as her gleaming chariot settled on the sandy shores of Delos.

As the ethereal vehicle halted to a stop, the goddess climbed out of it and started making her way towards the tall trees bordering the long shoreline of the mythical island.

It was a long walk to reach the woods, but on her nimble legs, Artemis was able to cover great distances in a matter of seconds. Soon she was where she wanted, and trees were flanking the goddess on either side.

Peeking out above the tall tree line, far away in the distance, sat a large structure that Artemis had called her home for the first few centuries of her life. It belonged to an era long gone by, back when she used to be young and things were much different than they were now.

Few had ever been where she was now; at some point, the humans had even found an entirely different island and named it Delos, but it was not where Artemis had been born. The real Delos, where she was now, had remained shrouded from the world for millenniums, evading explorers and sailors, invisible to all but those who were invited to it.

After leaving the beach and traveling through the forest for a few minutes, Artemis looked up as more and more of her childhood home started appearing through the thick vegetation.

As she reached a clearing, a beautiful sight greeted her eyes. A grand temple stood proudly amongst the tall trees, its gleaming marble steps rising from the ground to reach the temple entrance.

Artemis sighed as she stopped and looked around in silence, deciding to take a moment for herself before continuing forward.

Memories rushed into her mind as the very forest seemed to come alive around her… Such was the effect of her presence that her aura poured life into the otherwise silent woods. The trees whispered back to her stories from another age, back when the twin archers used to be kids. But before the memories could overwhelm her, the daughter of Zeus decided to continue forward, lest she found herself lost in her own past.

Walking up the seemingly endless stairs of the grand temple, Artemis finally reached a set of heavy bronze doors and pushed them open.

The first thing anyone would notice about the place was that it was far too large for normal humans; the heavy door's metal knockers were substantial in size and positioned too high above the ground to be practical.

It was a house built for gods.

As soon as she entered the temple, a familiar tingle appeared in the back of her mind—something barely noticeable but nonetheless still very important to her.

It felt like Percy's aura; it was barely there, too weak for her to be sure it was him, but there was something... And that gave her hope.

Demigods rarely had auras, but some of them did. The more powerful a demigod, the stronger their aura would become.

It was a strange thing, but at the same time, it also made a lot of sense that Percy had an aura too, and his aura was so strong that it could eclipse that of just about any minor god; it only went to show just how powerful he was for a demigod.

As Artemis crossed the various dimly lit hallways of her childhood home, she finally reached a large open courtyard, and there, sitting on a lonely stone platform, was a woman who looked a lot like her.

The woman looked towards the goddess and smiled warmly, "Artemis... My dear daughter. I had a feeling you'd come."

"Mother…" Artemis did not know what to say next, which made no sense because there was so much she wanted to say.

"Perseus— Is he—"

"He is here," Leto smiled, confirming her daughter's suspicions. "He is here, and he is safe."

Relief spread across Artemis's face as she finally felt the fear that had been gripping her for so many days leave her.

Even though Artemis had been caught off guard, she still trusted her mother to always choose the right side. This assurance erased any lingering doubt Artemis had about Rhea's intentions towards Perseus; she meant him no harm.

Though feeling better, the goddess still had many questions: "Why?" She asked, her voice conveying her hurt. "Why would you do this to me? Your own daughter?" Artemis demanded in anger.

Confusion was present on Leto's face as she asked, "Do what, Artemis? My dear daughter, have I wronged you in some way?"

"Wronged me?" Artemis asked, "I was forced to think the man I—the man I am supposed to marry is in mortal peril—if not dead already—and yet, all this time, he was here? Did it not occur to you that I would like to know of this?"

Normally, Artemis was not someone who would lose control of her emotions so easily; the way she felt about things was a secret that was always kept locked deep within her, but her barriers never applied before Leto, for she was her mother and Artemis could be open around her.

Wonder danced in Leto's eyes as she noticed, "I see your feelings for him have changed since we met last." A small smile reappeared on her face as she added, "It is such a beautiful thing, is it not? To care for someone so much…"

Before Artemis could say anything, the Titaness clarified, "And though you blame me for withholding information about Perseus's whereabouts, I feel you would be surprised to find that I did not know he was here until mere minutes ago."

Now it was Artemis's chance to be confused. "But if not here, then where was he?"

"Oh, he was here," Leto reassured her daughter. "Just hidden from me, until now."

"But how?" Artemis asked with a frown. No one could enter Delos without Leto's knowledge; it had been that way since the ancient times, and there was no reason it should change then.

"You see, for some time now, we have been playing host to a sprawling city underneath this very island; that city is where Perseus was taken, and that's where he has remained, until today."

"There is no city under this island, mother; I know every corner of these lands!" Artemis claimed.

"You would have been right up until one week ago; for that's when the city came here; only I did not know of it until today." Leto said.

"Mother, you are not making any sense." Artemis shook her head.

"Then allow me to explain," came a voice from behind Artemis.

The goddess of the moon turned around to see the Titaness Rhea standing there, her arms crossed and an amused smile resting on her face.

For a moment, the goddess remained frozen, her mind suddenly blank as she was faced with the most unlikely of sights, unsure of what to do, until finally her mind started working again. "Lady Rhea…" Artemis greeted her, dropping into a respectful bow at the sight of her grandmother.

Artemis knew very well that the mother of gods was to be given the utmost respect; after all, they all owed their existence to her. If not for Rhea, there would have been no gods, the world would still be ruled by Titans, and everyone would live in fear and pain.

"Rise, child," the Titaness said gently as she reached forward and pulled her up. Rhea held Artemis for a few seconds, her kind eyes keenly observing the moon's goodness, before she moved in and wrapped her in a hug.

Surprised by the gesture, Artemis felt all her stress leave her body as she let herself soak in the warm embrace of her grandmother.

"It has been far too long since I last saw you," Rhea said once she let the goddess go. She was still smiling, her eyes kind, compassionate and as deep as the oceans.

"It has indeed been long." Artemis nodded. She had last seen the Titaness when she was still a child, and that was thousands of years ago.

"I should be surprised to find you here," Rhea explained, shaking her head as she added, "but somehow I am not. No… I should have expected to find you here… After all, you would go to great lengths for Perseus, would you not? He certainly would for you.

Despite feeling starstruck by Rhea's presence, Percy's name immediately reminded Artemis of her reason to visit the island. "Perseus… Is he here? Is he with you?" Artemis asked, looking over Titaness' shoulder as if anticipating the demigod to walk into view at any moment.

Rhea shook her head. "He doesn't know you are here yet, but he should be here in a few moments regardless." She explained.

There was silence between them before the mother of gods broke it. "Walk with me, daughter of Leto, for there is much I wish to discuss with you today." The ancient Titaness said:.

Before agreeing, Artemis looked towards her mother, and Leto nodded, giving her approval.

As Artemis followed Rhea out of the building and into the sprawling gardens surrounding the temple, the Titaness started, "I feel as if I owe you an apology."

"My Lady, you don't..." Artemis quickly interjected, "I am sure there is more to the story than I now know of."

"There is indeed..." Rhea hummed in agreement; she had not yet told the moon goddess of everything that had been happening in their world.

Once they were a bit further away from the temple, Rhea spoke again. "I suppose it would only be right if I started my tale with where Percy was taken by us. You see, it all started when he first came to Nentis."

Artemis nodded as she followed the Titaness.

"For some time now, I had been living in Nentis, disguised as a human teacher, and though my time in that town ultimately lasted less than two years, in reality, I had been preparing for this for many decades." She explained, "Your mother mentioned a city; that is the city we all reside in—I and every other titan, god, and demigod who is fighting for our cause, including Leto."

Artemis had many questions, but the most pressing one was, "What is this city that you speak of? And how is it here? I don't see any city."

Rhea smiled, "The most ancient of our knowledge has been used to hide the city... Take my word when I say that it is vast, almost as big as this island itself. And yet it sits invisible underneath us, hidden somewhere outside our realm of existence but still connected to it."

"But… Why? And who are you fighting?" Artemis frowned. She could not understand why Rhea, of all people, would be leading a hidden faction of divine warriors.

"That, I'm afraid, is a long story." Rhea sighed, her ever-present smile having slipped from her face as a sad expression replaced it.

And so she told her everything she had told Percy that day; she told her how the very primordials had taken sides and how the odds had stacked firmly against their favor. She told her of the peaceful Titans; she told her how Krios, Iapetus, and Hyperion had all returned from Tartarus. It took Rhea about twenty minutes to get her story across, but by the end of it, Artemis knew everything there was to know about what was coming.

"I—" the goddess of the moon was at a loss for words; what Rhea had told her changed everything.

"I understand that it can be a lot to take in… I wish I could have prevented the situation from degrading this much, but powers greater than you or I can comprehend are at play here… Alas, there was little I could do other than observe the stirring and prepare our side the best I could."

Artemis shook her head as she composed herself. "You have done more than enough," she said once her mind had calmed enough. "I just never realized things had gotten so bad; none of us did."

"As much as it pains me to admit it, Olympus being kept in the dark was intentional. I was reluctant to involve you because I feared interference. Only when we amassed enough strength to stand our ground would I have approached my son for his support." Rhea explained apologetically.

Artemis should have felt offended, but she didn't. "That was probably for the best," she agreed. "Father would never have allowed a kingdom like yours's to grow unchecked. He would have wanted all of this under his own control, and that would have slowed things down."

"That was my thinking as well." Rhea nodded, happy that Artemis had not seen the decision as disrespectful.

"But now that you have grown so much, would you tell him? After all, we would need to work together if there was even the slightest chance of our survival." Artemis asked.

"You are an Olympian, my dear, and you know everything now; the question is whether you would tell him?" Rhea asked with an amused smile.

"Not if it becomes detrimental to your cause," she answered honestly, before adding, "Besides, I recently found myself at odds with Olympus over a minor disagreement, and I am in no haste to convey everything I hear to the rest of the gods."

"That gives me the time I need." Rhea nodded. "There are still a few things that I want to get done before I fully involve Olympus."

"Hmm, time has seemed to fly by today," she said, noticing the setting sun. "Percy should be here any moment now."

"If I could ask— " Artemis started respectfully, "How did Perseus arrive here in the first place?"

Rhea nodded. "We had been trapped in Nentis, and the only way to escape was through force. Percy was helping us find our enemies; his extensive search of the town came of much use to us."

"He got injured?"

"He did," Rhea nodded, "Percy fought bravely and with all the honor of a great warrior that he is, he showed exceptional strength and brought our enemies to their knees." she then paused before continuing in a more grim tone, "Alas the same honor was possessed by Tartarus' beasts... In a moment of carelessness, we let our guard down, and that's when they struck. It was an attack meant for my own heart, but my brave grandson put him in its way. If he hadn't acted then, I would have surely fallen into Tartarus' hands."

It was clear that the goddess of the moon was enraged; her fists were clenched, and her knuckles had gone white. If she could turn back time, she would surely have gone back to when Perseus had been struck and systematically destroyed every monster, god, or titan that had dared touch him "How is he now?" She asked.

Rhea rested a calming hand on the much younger goddess's shoulder. "He has recovered fully," she said. "Getting injured prompted him to draw upon the powers that are hidden deep within him, powers that are still developing. In that moment of terror, when he was bleeding and in so much pain, he could only think of one place where he would feel safe: right beside you. That's where he tried to flash, but fate was against him as he crashed against the Barrier of Erebus and fell into his apartment. That's why you found his blood there.

Rhea held Artemis's hand in her soft grip as she whispered, "Percy cares about you a great deal, Artemis; I have seen it in his eyes... I can only hope you have come to care for him just as much."

Artemis's eyes were burning with intensity as she said, "He had no idea—no idea how much I care about him—no idea the lengths I will go to keep him safe."

Rhea smiled as she let go of the goddess's hand and gestured behind her, "Then why don't you go and tell him yourself?"

Artemis turned around, and there he was, Percy Jackson, standing under a tree, waiting for their conversation to be over.

Artemis did not notice when she had started walking, but as she drew closer and closer towards the demigod, she felt herself slip further and further away from her usual self.

The son of Poseidon appeared nervous as he noticed the goddess drawing closer. As she came to stand before him, his eyes darted towards the ground, and he asked, "I am in so much trouble, aren't I?"

The demigod's voice felt like music to the goddess's ears; for a horrible moment, she had been forced to consider that she might never hear that voice again, and that thought had shattered her from the inside.

"Perseus," she whispered, "I should turn you into a jackalope for everything you have made me go through."

"Artemis I—"

"Oh, shut up, you insufferable demigod."

With that, for the first time ever, Artemis wrapped Percy in a hug.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Percy was still red in the face an hour later as he walked on the beaches of Delos with Artemis and Rhea. He had never felt warmer in his life than he had when the goddess of the moon had wrapped her arms around him; he could still feel her tight embrace on him, the memory having cemented itself as something that he would remember and cherish for the rest of his life.

The goddess of the moon was holding his hand and had refused to let go of it when the demigod pointed it out, threatening to turn him into a pigeon if he mentioned it again. She had clearly stopped letting her mind deter herself from seeking closeness with the demigod, as she found herself wanting more and more of it.

"You have yet to meet my mother, Perseus," Artemis said as she followed Rhea towards the entrance of her hidden city. Every few seconds, the goddess would look at Percy, as if to reassure herself that he was still there. The son of Poseidon had never seen her act that way and found it both endearing and concerning at the same time.

"Oh," Percy realized. "Yeah, I think I would have to meet her, wouldn't I?" He asked.

"Is that nervousness that I sense in your voice?" The goddess questioned with a bemused smile, "And forgive me if I get your emotions wrong; for some reason I do not seem to have the ability to read your mind like Diana does." She looked annoyed as she admitted that.

"Oh, I thank the gods that you don't," Percy chuckled nervously, "Diana is scary enough; I don't know what would happen to me if you could do it as well… But yeah, you are right; that might have been nervousness." He admitted it sheepishly.

"Don't worry, I think you will be relieved to find that I do not take after my mother; she is much kinder than I am and would surely remind you a lot of Lady Hestia." Artemis laughed; it did not surprise her that Percy thought his mother would be like her as well.

Rhea smiled as she listened to their conversation. "Leto would love to meet you, Percy, especially after seeing how close you have grown to her daughter."

Percy's face turned red again as he heard that, but Artemis did not seem to mind Rhea's comment; in fact, she only seemed amused by the demigod's reaction.

"And there they are," Rhea pointed as, a little ways ahead of them, she noticed a group of Titans waiting for their arrival.

Percy could spot Iapetus and Lelantus sitting on the sand, engaged in some sort of debate against Selene and Astraeus. The demigod had already been close to Iapetus, or Bob, as he called him, but he had also grown closer to the other Titans, especially Lelantus, who was always laughing and just as lighthearted as his domain of wind.

When the group noticed the three, they paused what they were doing and got up to greet them.

But before the two groups could meet, something made Percy look up with a worried expression.

Suddenly, the demigod stopped as he looked around in distress.

"Perseus? What is it?" Artemis asked in concern as she pulled the demigod closer to herself and stood protectively beside him.

"The sea," he whispered, "It's— It's coming for us."

As soon as he said that, the sand beneath their feet started shaking, and a strong earthquake rattled the island of Delos.

Alarmed, the three rushed towards the Titan group, but their movement was hindered when the wind picked up and started sending sand in their faces while strongly pushing them against the direction they were moving in.

"Lelantus! Protect Rhea, Selene! Get them to open the doorway!" Iapetus cried as he propelled himself forward on his strong feet and pushed towards the raging sea, his spear out and ready to battle whatever came out of the water.

In a matter of seconds, Lelantus was beside Rhea, his face alert as he escorted the three towards Selene and Astraeus.

A loud, thundering hum surrounded them on all sides as the wind picked up and darkness drew closer.

Soon a giant wave had surrounded the island on all sides; seagulls were crying as if an apocalypse had arrived, and the very horizon had turned dark gray as a wall of water headed towards them.

A giant wave, the size of a small mountain, rose from the sea and rushed towards the group.

Everyone braced for impact as the wave crashed against the anticipated beaches.

But instead of continuing forward and drowning the island in a watery grave, the wave slowed down and froze, retaining its shape but losing all its speed.

A gleaming trident, the size of a tall tree cut out of the wave and a giant figure emerged from it; the person's size was so immense that he dwarfed the small figure of the Titan Iapetus beneath him.

"WHERE IS MY SON?!" Poseidon raged as his trident crashed against the beach, a shockwave of power pushing the Titan off his feet and almost causing the rest to fall into the sand as well.

As Poseidon's form shrank in size to meet that of Iapetus, he finally noticed Percy standing there with Artemis.

"Percy," he cried in relief, immediately rushing past the fallen Titan to check on his son.

Holding him by his shoulder, he said, "You are alive, my son; you are safe. Oh, how much your disappearance worried me."

"I am alright," Percy promised. "I can't believe you came for me, and that was a sick entrance, dad. That was so cool," the demigod said excitedly.

"Of course I had to find you," the lord of the sea said with a smile, finding joy in his son's excitement. "I am no longer ready to sit on my throne and see you risk your life every day, not when you have already served Olympus with all you have."

"Don't think anyone else would have done it for me." Percy admitted, "Except Artemis, of course."

"I had been searching for you for days, my son, but I could not sense you. Today for the first time, I felt your presence in my domain, I came as fast as I could. he then looked towards Artemis. "Of course, it looks like someone was here much faster."

Artemis lowered her head. "Only by a few minutes," she said. "And as it turns out, Perseus had already been out of danger for quite some time."

"What do you mean?" Poseidon asked, confused.

In response, Artemis let go of Percy's hand and stepped aside, allowing the god to see the woman, who had been standing a bit further away from the two.

"Mother…" Poseidon whispered in surprise as he saw Rhea looking at them with a big smile. As if on instinct, the god stepped forward and dropped on one knee as he bowed in reverence. "Forgive me for not noticing you sooner."

"You almost drowned me, Poseidon," the titaness chuckled.

"I—again, I beg your forgiveness— I should have been more mindful."

"It's alright, my son... Now rise, Lord of the Oceans; the sea does not yield before anyone; haven't I told you that so many times?" Rhea commanded with authority, "It makes me so happy to see all three of you together." She said, "Come now; do not keep me waiting; there is much I want to show you all."

"I do not understand." Poseidon shook his head as he got up. "If you would allow me to ask, why are you here now, mother? And how did my son get here?"

"Patience child, all will be answered soon, but before I speak anything on this matter, I would like to talk with you on matters much closer to home," she said, looking at Percy and Artemis with a knowing look.

"Oh," Poseidon realized. "Well, before we go any further, with your blessing, I would like to extend a few invitations. I believe it has been a long time coming.

Rhea inclined her head, giving her approval.

"Percy and Artemis, I should have done this much earlier, but I would like you both to visit Atlantis for a few days. Percy, your mother and your new sister would be there too, and your mother as well as your brother will also be welcomed, Artemis, not your father though."

Artemis looked shocked by the invitation. "You— You would allow me to visit Atlantis?" She asked in disbelief.

"I heard what happened on Olympus and what you were willing to do for my son, It is amazing to see how much you have come to care for him, though it was a bond that was forced on you… I think it's about time our families come together; mother Rhea would be here too, won't you, mother?" He asked, turning towards Rhea.

"You would find it difficult to keep me away," she laughed.

"Can some of my huntresses come as well?" Artemis asked with a hopeful expression, though she did not expect the god to agree.

Poseidon smiled and said, "They are your family as well, so they will always be welcomed."

"Thank you," Artemis said, feeling slightly humbled by the unexpected invitation. It was a big deal for Poseidon to invite a child of Zeus into his domain, and he had not only invited her but also her mother and Apollo, which only made it that much more surprising.

"Wait… What happened on Olympus, though?" Percy interrupted, "What was Artemis going to do for me?" He asked.

Rhea and the other Titans looked curious too, as they wanted the goddess to answer the question.

"I—" Artemis started, unsure of how to say it.

"Well?" Rhea asked expectantly.

Artemis knew she could not avoid it if Rhea wanted to know as well; refusing to answer now would be an affront to the Titaness and she could dare commit such a transgression… "I was going to take the moon away if Perseus was not found within the week." Artemis finally answered, for some reason refusing to meet the demigod's eyes.

Surprise ran across the faces present there as they all realized just how far the goddess was prepared to go for Percy. To take the moon away would mean that the goddess would openly declare to all of the divine world that she was no longer aligned with Olympus. It would have been a mammoth task to manipulate the mist for humans and cover for the fact that the moon was suddenly missing.

Percy was at a loss for words; for a few seconds, he felt too stunned to speak, and even when his mind started working again, he was still feeling disoriented. "You would do that—for me?" He asked in disbelief.

Artemis finally looked towards him, her eyes determined as she said, "Yes, that and so much more."

Percy just nodded limply, not trusting himself enough to open his mouth.

Artemis looked up at Rhea and the rest as she requested, "Will it be alright if we come to the city later than the rest?"

"Take all the time you need, Artemis," Rhea nodded in understanding.

The Titaness, along with Poseidon and the rest of the Titans all left the two on their own as they headed towards the Library of Ages.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Now alone with Artemis, Percy felt his nervousness returning with full force as he faced the goddess.

Even though he had loved the daughter of Athena with all of his heart, the demigod did not understand why he felt the way he felt around Artemis. He had never felt anything like that around Annabeth, and for some reason, every moment he spent with Artemis felt infinitely more intimate and intense.

But while it was true that things felt more intense, it also often left him a nervous mess. Percy did not know how to navigate around the Greek Goddess, there was always a sense of danger around her, and everything about her was further heightened by her powerful yet strangely comforting aura, an aura that always wrapped around him like a protective blanket.

Perhaps it was the fact that she was an immortal goddess who was thousands of years older than him; she was so full of mystery and danger that it was intoxicating… Or maybe it was the way she carried herself with so much grace, how every small movement of her body felt so fluid and refined, every aspect of her physicality was the definition of perfection, it was impossible to match her grace, she was simply flawless…

Percy did not know what drew him towards Artemis, but in the end something about her was just magnetic. He knew he should be terrified of her, and yet he craved her closeness more and more with every passing day.

"Is there anything you wish to say, Perseus?" The goddess finally asked.

"A lot of things I imagine," he finally answered, his voice a bit shaky but still clear, "But none of which I am brave enough to voice today."

The goddess smiled, "It appears we find ourselves in a similar conundrum then. Tell me, would like to be the braver of us two?"

Percy laughed, summoning some of his trademark humor, "But you're the goddess aren't you? I mean, you never fail to remind me of that. How can I hope to match your courage?"

"Well played Perseus," Artemis smiled as she shook her head, "Fine then, I'll speak first, but be warned, for I can do much more as a goddess than your realize yet, and it is more than just my courage that you need to be concerned about."

Percy felt his breathing get quicker as Artemis drew ever so slightly closer to him.

"You realize that I can hear it all, don't you?" The goddess whispered, "Your breathing picks up every time I come close to you." One of her slender arms reached forward to touch his chest but stopped mid-air, resting just above his heart but not venturing any closer. "Your heart beats faster even now... It's all clear as day to my ears."

Horror gripped the demigod as he heard that, 'of course she can,' he realized, 'this means she could hear it all this time.' He had never once considered the fact that the goddess's hypersensitive ears could pick up sounds that would be too faint for his demigod ears. Realizing that she could hear his heart beating at its crazy rate at that very moment only made it beat that much faster.

"And I can see it too," she said, withdrawing her hands but somehow getting even closer. "The way your pupils dilate... Every small movement of your eyes plays out like a movie to me, all the subtle glances that you think I won't notice, the way they sometimes shy away from me, not even the slightest detail is missed.

Percy looked up, and her silver eyes bore into his emerald ones. He felt her magnetic pull once more, but forced himself to break contact as he looked away.

"I can both hear and feel the blood rushing to your face; the warmth it adds is more perceptible to me than it ever will be to you," she claimed.

"Your thoughts are a fortress I cannot yet scale. But how long will it remain that way?" She asked, "I can already understand enough; Diana even more so."

Percy had never felt more exposed in his life; it was like the goddess drilled a hole into the walls surrounding his soul and left everything open for viewing.

"Don't worry, you are not alone in this," the goddess comforted him.

"Your eyes are not as sharp as mine, nor are your ears sensitive enough," Artemis said. "But if they were, you would notice that things are not too different when it comes to me."

Percy looked into her eyes again, and this time he did not miss it.

"For indeed, I too react in much the same way," she revealed. "So hear me out, son of Poseidon; if you wish to know how I feel about you, all you have to do is search for your own feelings, because that's exactly how I feel, perhaps even more intensely so."

"Your turn now," she whispered as she drew back.

Percy shook his head. He was feeling breathless. "What—what can I tell you that you do not already know?" He asked.

"Do not extend offers that you do not intend to fulfill," the goddess replied sternly, "for I can ask you something that I would very much like an answer to. It is but a simple yes-or-no question; however, a single answer would hold the power to change everything. I could address the same question to myself as well, but I already have my answer. I can only wonder if yours would be the same."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" The demigod claimed.

"Don't you?" Artemis asked, unconvinced.

Percy had feared that the goddess was going to keep pushing it, but she just shook her head and spoke of something else.

"There was a possibility you had died," she said, a strange look present on her face. "When you disappeared and we could not find you, that was an explanation that was on all our minds, but we did not dare speak of it."

"Artemis, I was alright," Percy tried to reassure her.

"But I did not know that!" She snapped.

She reached forward and held Percy by his arms. "And you cannot begin to understand how much that thought terrified me... The thought of losing you—it paralyzed me—made me feel weak, as I realized—I cannot live without you, not anymore."

"Artemis—"

"How have you done this to me? A few months cannot be all it took for you to turn a 'man hater' into the person I have now become, a person who cannot imagine her life without you beside her." She demanded.

"Do you think you're the only one looking for answers?" Percy shot back, "You were born a goddess; you have no idea what standing so close to a being like you does to me—a normal person."

"What of it?"

"Don't you get it?" Percy cried, "You're majestic! You are divine and flawless, perfect in every single way. I and everyone else I have ever known feel like a clumsy chimpanzee around you… Everything you do is so refined and precise, I don't understand how to even begin acting around you."

Artemis glared at him. "And that's the worst of your problems?"

"Worst of my problem?" Percy laughed sarcastically. "If only it were the worst of my problems, that would be something, wouldn't it? It would make things so much simpler because I had to do it. The stupid old me with my thing against self-preservation, I just had to do it; I had to go and fall in lo—."

Percy stopped mid-sentence as he caught himself, his face suddenly white.

"Fall in what!?" Artemis demanded.

"I— We should go inside."

The goddess let go of the demigod as she gritted her teeth. "You insufferable man," she hissed. "Ugh, why can't I hate you even though I want to? This is not fair."

For a few moments, both of them were silent, but then the expression on Percy's face started changing.

Despite the tenseness of the situation, Percy could not help but burst into laughter at the goddess's predicament. He felt the stress leave him as laughter replaced his tension.

"Stop laughing or else," Artemis threatened.

But Percy only laughed harder: "Come on, Artemis—we both know you would never let anything bad happen to me, much less do it yourself."

"This is not fair!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A few hours had passed since Artemis and Poseidon had arrived in Delos. Since then, the sun has gone down, and everyone has gathered around a large bonfire outside the city palace.

It was a friendly gathering, as people from all corners of the magical city came together to celebrate what was sure to be the last few days of peace that they would get before all were thrust into another period of great bloodshed.

Rhea had shared everything she knew about the coming war with Poseidon, and the Olympian god had immediately pledged his support to her war efforts.

The lord of the seas could see that his mother and the rest of the peaceful Titans had been preparing for what was coming for a very long time, and it made no sense for Olympus to assume control of the operations when they had next to no idea of what was really happening out there.

Poseidon had also agreed to keep his discoveries from Zeus until Rhea saw fit to share them herself; she had given sound explanations for her decision, so there was no reason for him to refuse her request.

While the Titans mingled with each other and Percy's father was busy conversing with Rhea, the demigod found himself sitting beside Artemis as they observed the commotion from slightly further away.

"These are perhaps the final few days of calm that we would have before the war starts," Artemis said quietly, her eyes focused on the bonfire.

"Feels like it," Percy agreed. "It's such a shame, just as my life was beginning to get normal again."

Artemis looked towards Percy and raised one of her elegant eyebrows. "Normal? Perseus, your life has never been normal by any stretch of imagination."

The demigod tried to come up with a convincing argument before ultimately conceding, "Fair enough, I guess."

Artemis chuckled as she shook her head. "Don't worry, I am sure you'll have an eternity to live a normal life once the war is finally over."

"News flash, Artemis, living forever is not something you can generally consider normal." Percy pointed it out.

"It is for me," she smiled in return. "You'll get used to it too."

"Well—" Percy tilted his head. "There is still a long way to go until that happens; who knows if things will be the same? I would also need to survive that long first."

Artemis hummed in return; she did not want to talk about the war. "I do not think you realize the extent of horror I would bring down upon anyone who dares hurt you again... You will no longer answer to Olympus after today, Perseus. I understand your fatal flaw is loyalty, but your loyalty should be towards your family, so first and foremost, you should be loyal to me, not Zeus or Athena, who only ever want to use you."

"I am sorry you had to worry about me," Percy said sincerely. "I never knew things in Nentis would turn out the way they did."

"Tomorrow, I will take you to meet my mother," Artemis said, changing the topic.

"I look forward to meeting her," Percy replied.

"When you meet her, she might say things." Artemis looked uncomfortable. "Things that would be embarrassing to me."

Percy's face brightened up at that. "Yeah, I was kind of expecting that, to be honest; my mom always embarrasses me too; hearing what Lady Leto had to say about you is actually what I am looking forward to the most."

Artemis glared at the demigod. "Some of the things she would say might likely concern us both, so I would not be so cheeky if I were you!"

"A small price to pay to see you feel embarrassed," Percy grinned. "I don't think I have ever seen you act anything other than highly dignified."

The goddess frowned. "You have grown far too confident as of late; do I not scare you anymore, demigod?" She asked.

"Would it make you really sad if I said yes?" Percy asked without losing his grin.

Her pride stung, but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Maybe," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper, "just maybe."

"Well then, I guess you can still be pretty scary sometimes," he chuckled.

Artemis smiled brightly in return.

"God, this really matters to you, doesn't it?" Percy laughed.

"Of course it does. It's my very reputation that's in line here!" She replied, her head held up in pride.

"You're impossible!" Percy protested.

"No, no, just complex." She shook her head.

"Whatever, just don't let it get to your head, alright?" He asked, "Thank the gods, Diana isn't obsessed with scaring people like you are."

"Oh, is that so?" Artemis challenged, "You really want to bring Diana into this, don't you? Well, I will let you know that just because she acts all friendly before you does not mean others are afforded the same courtesy."

"I wouldn't know," Percy shrugged. "Never seen her get angry before."

"Hmm, you're in for a treat then; come, there's something I'd like to show you." The goddess spoke as she stood up and held her hand out for Percy.

"What is it?" Percy asked as he took the offered hand and got up.

"It is not here; we would need to travel somewhere far away for you to see it. Don't worry, we will return before anyone notices we are gone." She explained, "Now come closer and hold onto me tightly."

Percy hesitated.

"Seriously?" the goddess asked with a blank expression. She looked unimpressed.

Percy shook his head as he stepped closer and took her other hand.

"Your face is going red again," Artemis annoyingly pointed out.

"Just—you don't have to tell me that." He said it indignantly.

"Yes, but I like to," the goddess smirked.

"I don't think you need to close your eyes anymore; there is enough ichor in you for you to be able to look at me while I do this. I heard you recently achieved this particular method of transporting yourself; as my equal, you should not have to look away," she said.

"Yes, I was able to flash, but I haven't been able to do it again, and no, I will not keep my eyes open."

"Why?" Artemis frowned. "Only hints of my divine form will be visible to you, and that's only the part that I can't hold back; most of it—if not all—will still be within me. You will not get hurt by looking at me, especially now that you are becoming a god yourself."

"That's not why I don't want to look," he revealed. "Even a little bit of your divine form would be too much; I just can't."

"I just told you it wouldn't hurt!" Artemis said crossly.

"And I told you I was not worried about it hurting!" Percy cried.

"Then what is the issue?"

"Just let it go, Artemis, please."

The goddess huffed in annoyance and said, "Fine, if that is what you want, then I would not force it upon you."

"Thank you"

A few minutes later, both the goddess and the demigod were standing in the large entrance hall of a beautiful palace.

"This is your home on Olympus," Percy noticed as he looked around in wonder. "Why have you brought us here?"

"It is only for a couple of hours at most," Artemis replied. "Oh, and Perseus?" she called.

"Yes?" The demigod turned towards her.

"It is now your home as well," she said, and without waiting for a response, she turned around and started walking into the palace.

"Wait!" Percy cried as he ran after her. "I don't want to get lost here."

"It is not the first time you have been here," the goddess pointed out.

"Still—"

The two walked in silence for a few minutes until, finally, Artemis stood outside a wooden door leading into one of the many rooms of the palace.

"Why do you have so many rooms?" You live alone." Percy asked.

"The place must reflect my status, Perseus, and besides, my huntresses do stay here sometimes; in fact, I would go so far as to argue that I am the only Olympian who fully utilizes the size of their palace."

"Right," he said. "So what now?"

"Now? Now you go inside," she said, beckoning him towards the wooden door.

"You are coming too, right?" he asked warily.

"I am already inside," she shrugged.

"No, you're not—wait... Is Diana in there?" He realized what she could have meant.

Artemis nodded.

"Fine," Percy said, "I don't understand what you both are up to, but I guess I will see you in a minute."

With that, the demigod walked into the room.

Inside, Percy found the Roman goddess just as he had expected, but the expression on her face was a sight that made his blood freeze in fear.

"Hello Percy," the goddess smiled coldly, her face lacking any of its usual warmth, "it appears you may have forgotten something in Nentis."

The goddess Diana was sitting on a wooden chair. There was a blank expression on her face. In one of her pale hands rested a long silver dagger, while the other held a silver chainmail shirt that Percy recognised as his own.

"Here, I think this belongs to you." The goddess said this as she tossed the shirt to Percy, who caught it in his hands.

Percy instinctively backed away.

Diana let go of the knife as she got up and started walking towards him, her movements so light and deliberate that it almost felt like she was gliding on thin air.

"You are in so much trouble, Percy Jackson... You realize that, right?"

-End of Chapter-

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A/N:

Unless I miscalculated the number of words, this chapter would bring the total word count of this story to 200K.

I find it hard to believe that I have finally reached this milestone. I know 200K words is not at all uncommon on this site, but it is still a big deal to me personally.

Enough about me, though. What did you think about the chapter? Some people were asking for more Percy-Artemis moments, so I decided to add a lot of them towards the end.

My thought process behind their relationship right now is that they both have developed strong feelings for each other but are still testing the waters, too afraid to admit how they feel and risk ruining everything they have achieved together.

This was to be expected; they have been engaged for a very long time now. I know the timeline of the story is a bit ambiguous, but that is intentional. I think this allows the readers to arrive at their own estimates of how long things might have been going on for, which can make everything feel a tad bit more natural.

Artemis is protective of Percy; I believe that is a theme that I have been consistent with throughout the story, and the way I would explain it is that gods are much more robust than demigods, almost to the point that there is no real comparison...

Most gods have been alive for thousands upon thousands of years, despite constantly facing significant dangers and fighting in many historical battles.

Demigods, on the other hand, have incredibly momentous lives, but they are always short-lived, even more so than normal humans.

Think about it: even the most famous demigods eventually died or became gods themselves, but in contrast to that, even the most insignificant minor god who was alive thousands of years ago would probably still be there.

Demigods are like red giants in a way; they burn so brightly, outshining even the longest-lived yellow stars by thousands of times, and yet as brightly as they burn, their lifespans are a fraction of those of the yellow stars.

Even though Percy's achievements are great, even though he can probably fight any Olympian he chooses and still stand a chance to defeat them in a fair fight, he only gets one chance to do it; one wrong move and he would be gone forever, never to return.

That's why Artemis is so protective of Percy; her trying to shield him does not mean she thinks he is weak; she just wants him to wait until he gets that 'get out of jail free' card that would be his immorality.

Finally, I want to say that this is and always will be primarily a Pertemis fic, so Percy and Artemis' relationship will always be the central focus of the story, but at the same time, it does not mean that I will stop exploring the various other themes that are scattered here and there.

For example, I love designing the upcoming war and everything related to it. Then there are the peaceful Titans too; developing their characters is so much fun.

There are many exciting things I have in store for this story. I have so many ideas that I want to implement and so many characters that I want to explore. I try my best to get most of my ideas out there, but it results in extremely long chapters like this one.

I need to know something from the readers, though: are longer chapters difficult to read? Should I post shorter chapters that are like 7-8K words?

The last three chapters have been very big, and I don't want to make the experience harder for people who don't like big chapters.

Enough said. Thank you for reading, and I'll see you in the next one.

Bye